A power conversion system, e.g., an inverter system for converting DC power to AC power can include a controller circuit, a feedback circuit, switch elements, and a resonant tank. Conventional architectures for the inverter systems have dice-based architectures or integrated circuit (IC)-based architectures.
In a dice-based architecture, discrete dice are packaged into discrete ICs respectively and then assembled on a printed circuit board (PCB). The controller circuit can be integrated in a surface-mounted IC package. The switch elements are active semiconductor devices and each switch element is integrated in a separate surface-mounted IC package. The feedback circuit can include discrete components such as resistors, capacitors and diodes which are also integrated in respective discrete surface-mounted packages. Surface-mounted packages generally refer to electronic circuits in which the components are mounted directly onto the surface of PCBs. The resonant tank includes a transformer and capacitors, which are available in through-hole packages. Through-hole packages refer to components having pins that are inserted into holes drilled in PCBs and soldered to pads on the opposite side. In the dice-based architecture, each element is mounted on a PCB and interconnected by metal traces on the PCB. The PCB may include other components or devices such as an AC-DC power supply system for converting an AC voltage to a regulated DC voltage, which can be used by the inverter system and other subsystems. Due to the nature of the power conversion, the AC-DC power supply system usually includes through-hole devices.
As shown in FIG. 1, multiple ICs 102 and 104 (e.g., an IC integrating the controller circuit and other ICs integrating the switches respectively) and other discrete components 110 (e.g., resistors, capacitors, and diodes) are assembled on the same PCB 120 through the assembly process. However, in the dice-based architecture, since the elements such as the controller circuit and switches are packaged in individual ICs, the overall all PCB size is relatively large, thereby increasing the cost of the PCB. Moreover, since both surface-mounted devices and through-hole devices are used on the same PCB, the PCB will undergo soldering process twice, i.e., one for though-hole devices and another for surface mount devices. The repetitive exposure to relatively high temperature in a solder process may degrade the reliability of the system. Consequently, manufacturing cost may be further increased due to additional effort to manage both surface mount and through-hole assembly technology. Manufacturing time can be prolonged due to repetitive soldering process.
In an IC-based architecture, the controller circuit and the switch elements are integrated in the same IC chip. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, an IC 202 integrating the controller circuit and the switches and other discrete components 210 (e.g., resistors, capacitors, and diodes) can be assembled on a PCB 220 through the assembly process. However, such IC-based architecture can be limited by the power rating of the internally integrated switch elements. To support applications with greater power ratings, the IC 202 integrating the controller circuitry and the switch elements may need to be re-designed and taped-out. In case of redesign and tape-out, the pin-out and IC package size may be changed. Furthermore, as both surface-mounted devices and through-hole devices are used on the PCB, the aforementioned problems associated with mixed surface-mounted and through-hole assembly process still remain unsolved.